Revision Notes

Different Medium of Advertising

Newspapers

Newspapers are one of the traditional mediums used by businesses, both big and small alike, to advertise their businesses.

Advantages

Allows you to reach a huge number of people in a given geographic area

You have the flexibility in deciding the ad size and placement within the newspaper

Your ad can be as large as necessary to communicate as much of a story as you care to tell

Exposure to your ad is not limited; readers can go back to your message again and again if so desired.

Free help in creating and producing ad copy is usually available

Quick turn-around helps your ad reflect the changing market conditions. The ad you decide to run today can be in your customers' hands in one to two days.

Disadvantages

Ad space can be expensive

Your ad has to compete against the clutter of other advertisers, including the giants ads run by supermarkets and department stores as well as the ads of your competitors

Poor photo reproduction limits creativity

Newspapers are a price-oriented medium; most ads are for sales

Expect your ad to have a short shelf life, as newspapers are usually read once and then discarded.

You may be paying to send your message to a lot of people who will probably never be in the market to buy from you.

Newspapers are a highly visible medium, so your competitors can quickly react to your prices

With the increasing popularity of the Internet, newspapers face declining readership and market penetration. A growing number of readers now skip the print version of the newspaper (and hence the print ads) and instead read the online version of the publication.

Magazines

Magazines are a more focused, albeit more expensive, alternative to newspaper advertising. This medium allows you to reach highly targeted audiences.

Advantages

Allows for better targeting of audience, as you can choose magazine publications that cater to your specific audience or whose editorial content specializes in topics of interest to your audience.

High reader involvement means that more attention will be paid to your advertisement

The smaller page (generally 8 ½ by 11 inches) permits even small ads to stand out

Disadvantages

Long lead times mean that you have to make plans weeks or months in advance

The slower lead time heightens the risk of your ad getting overtaken by events

There is limited flexibility in terms of ad placement and format.

Space and ad layout costs are higher

Yellow Pages

There are several forms of Yellow Pages that you can use to promote and advertise your business. Aside from the traditional Yellow Pages supplied by phone companies, you can also check out specialized directories targeted to specific markets (e.g. Hispanic Yellow Pages, Blacks, etc.); interactive or consumer search databases; Audiotex or talking yellow pages; Internet directories containing national, local and regional listings; and other services classified as Yellow Pages.

Advantages

Wide availability, as mostly everyone uses the Yellow Pages

Non-intrusive

Action-oriented, as the audience is actually looking for the ads

Ads are reasonably inexpensive

Responses are easily tracked and measured

Frequency

Disadvantages

Pages can look cluttered, and your ad can easily get lost in the clutter

Your ad is placed together with all your competitors

Limited creativity in the ads, given the need to follow a pre-determined format

Ads slow to reflect market changes

Radio

Advantages

Radio is a universal medium enjoyed by people at one time or another during the day, at home, at work, and even in the car.

The vast array of radio program formats offers to efficiently target your advertising dollars to narrowly defined segments of consumers most likely to respond to your offer.

Gives your business personality through the creation of campaigns using sounds and voices

Free creative help is often available

Rates can generally be negotiated

During the past ten years, radio rates have seen less inflation than those for other media

Disadvantages

Because radio listeners are spread over many stations, you may have to advertise simultaneously on several stations to reach your target audience

Listeners cannot go back to your ads to go over important points

Ads are an interruption in the entertainment. Because of this, a radio ad may require multiple exposure to break through the listener's "tune-out" factor and ensure message retention

Radio is a background medium. Most listeners are doing something else while listening, which means that your ad has to work hard to get their attention

Television

Advantages

Television permits you to reach large numbers of people on a national or regional level in a short period of time

Independent stations and cable offer new opportunities to pinpoint local audiences

Television being an image-building and visual medium, it offers the ability to convey your message with sight, sound and motion

Disadvantages

Message is temporary, and may require multiple exposure for the ad to rise above the clutter

Ads on network affiliates are concentrated in local news broadcasts and station breaks

Preferred ad times are often sold out far in advance

Limited length of exposure, as most ads are only thirty seconds long or less, which limits the amount of information you can communicate

Relatively expensive in terms of creative, production and airtime costs.

Direct Mail

Direct mail, often called direct marketing or direct response marketing, is a marketing technique in which the seller sends marketing messages directly to the buyer. Direct mail include catalogs or other product literature with ordering opportunities; sales letters; and sales letters with brochures.

Advantages

Your advertising message is targeted to those most likely to buy your product or service.